US DOE Makes First HALEU Commitments to Five Nuclear Developers

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US DOE Makes First HALEU Commitments to Five Nuclear Developers

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shortlisted five U.S. nuclear developers who could receive high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to meet their near-term fuel needs. According to the DOE, this first round of HALEU allocations brings innovative American nuclear technologies one step closer to commercialization and will expand the use of nuclear energy. “Allocating this HALEU […]

“Allocating this HALEU material will help U.S. nuclear developers deploy their advanced reactors with materials sourced from secure supply chains, marking an important step forward in President Trump’s program to revitalize America’s nuclear sector”, Chris Wright, U.S. Energy Secretary, said.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has addressed the critical need for High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) in advanced nuclear reactor development, acknowledging the current absence of domestic HALEU suppliers. Recognizing HALEU’s role in enabling more compact, efficient, and longer-lasting reactor designs, the DOE established an allocation process to distribute HALEU from its sources, including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Following requests from 15 companies, the DOE has selected five, meeting its prioritization criteria, to receive HALEU. Notably, three of these companies require fuel delivery in 2025.

The five companies that received conditional commitments are: TRISO-X, LLC, Kairos Power, LLC, Radiant Industries, Inc., Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC, and TerraPower, LLC.

The designated HALEU will benefit the recipients of the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) Pathway 1 awards, companies looking to test in the DOME test bed, and certain ARDP risk reduction awardees, underlining the DOE’s dedication to industry collaboration. Moving forward, the DOE said it will begin the contracting process to distribute the material to five companies, with some expected to receive their HALEU as soon as this fall. The allocation process remains in progress, and the DOE intends to extend HALEU allocations to more companies in the future.

The first round of conditional commitments of HALEU were made through the HALEU Availability Program, which was established in 2020 to secure a domestic supply of HALEU for civilian domestic research, development, demonstration, and commercial use, DOE said.

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